Two Bears in a Record Store

5: Booka Shade - The Sun & Neon Light

The 3rd album of Booka Shade’s short but prolific career is their best. They have grown and changed into a complete outfit. The Sun & Neon Light is their maturation. Incredibly atmospheric it exists just before sunrise in the pre-dawn light, hazy, moody and relaxed. It lies strongly within the electronic music genre but it has the depth of a folk album. Its beyond a storming dance floor stormer, it has life and actually invokes more then just euphoria.

The Sun & neon Light has been compared by many as Booka’s attempt to be Depeche Mode. I couldn’t disagree more. It has the melancholy, sombre atmosphere I’ve never heard before in any electronic release, while retaining in some tracks a stomping rhythm (‘Charlotte)’. I struggle to describe this album anything more then a complete emotional, album by a duo filled with melody. Whatever it is it filled many nights of mine and I think its worth a real solid listen.

Booka Shade - Control Me
Booka Shade - Dusty Boots


4: The Killers - Day & Age

Only a very recent release from the Americans but this album could almost be a best of. Its as if it combines all the best elements from their first releases, the glittery electropop/rock and then slide off the shoulder their best dress and reveal just a little more- a glimpse into their future. The coolest aspect of this album is The Killers ability to take a chance and for that chance to pay off – aka the Caribbean rhythms scattered amongst this album & opening bars of the album featuring horns!!!. Human was the first single and perhaps the best because it leads the album off with a bang, the energy so lacking from Sam’s Town.

For The Killers it’s a brand new day but there’s still so many more listeners to conquer and win over yet, this is definitely one of my favourite and more most enjoyable albums of the year.

The Killers - Joy Ride
The Killers - A Crippling Blow


3: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

If you haven’t heard of this album by now, just heard of it, you must have been living under a rock …… or listening to delightful commercial radio. As such pretty there isn’t much left to say about this album except like a Beach Boys, Beatles, Coldplay or any folk album its easy to listen to and easy to get into.

It’s full of lush warm melodies and it’s a pleasure to listen to. Nothing else to say. Go out , get it and thank me later.

Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
Fleet Foxes - Your Protector


2: Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

This is the definitive album for the Kings. Within this album are the hallmarks of each previous release. The slow brooding guitar tunes of ‘Because of the Times, the crooning from ‘Aha Shake’ and the youthful brashness of ‘Youth & Youngman Hood’. Only by the Night is a band who has grown and become so confident that they can produce a medium paced album that is still full of life and still grows on the listener after countless hearings.

Unfortunately as mentioned by CB it has copped some criticism for being branded as a sell-out album, but its that those cries were not heard when their previous album was released considering many of the stadium sounds were trialled on ‘Because of the Times’. Regardless this is the must own album of 2008!

Kings of Leon - Closer
Kings of Leon - Crawl


1: The Presets - Apocalypso

Possibly best electronic album ever? Pretty close . This album is wild. Like Booka Shade this album lies somewhere between the chaos of night and day, but it must be turned up after dark it will not let you turn it down. Its messy, its loud, its crazy its fluro, it’s the shizzle!. Its dark, its moody yet its faster and harder then any record I’ve heard all year. Its unrelenting and thank god!.

Kicking & Screaming is an entrée for My People which will pound you into submission with its ultra crunchy synth. Then Apocalypso will turn around and hug you while side stepping to the beats of A New Sky. This Boys in Love is the hands in the air fluro classic that it is, featuring one of the coolest lyrics of the year “We stole the keys to the sky”. Its one of the most euphoric points of the album, and the commercial success it achieved should not be underestimated.
Yippiyo-ay is a 4 and a half minute glimpse into the future of a new genre – electrofunk!. Its got groove and still a dirty beat.

The vampiric opening to Talk Like That is now as well know as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West, you cant turn on a radio without hearing it. Its catchy its got a killer beat which grabs you and refuses to let go and quirky synths scattered throughout -totally irresistible. If I Know You is The Presets in Depeche Mode disguise and my oh my it works it’s the wonky synth combining with Julian’s voice that make this a tale of heartbreak and it still isn’t out of place on such a great dance record. Closing the album is Anywhere. The darkest, moodiest track on the album. The last hoorah, The Presets saying good bye and thank you for your time in their own way.

This is easily my favourite album of the year, perhaps cause of the success it achieved – it was such a surprise . I know that this has won over many of my friends who didn’t really care for The Presets before and that says a lot to me.

The Presets - Yippiyo-ay
Talk Like That


Thanks for reading. Please feel free, we implore you to send us your top 10 of 2008 albums or songs.

In the coming day's myself and Choc will try and post our top 10 song of 2008 also, so check back and please once again send us your top albums and songs of 2008!

Adios!

Here is numbers 10 to 6 of my Top Ten albums of 2008 (in no particular order):
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
British India – Thieves
The Streets – Everything is Borrowed
Coldplay – Viva la Vida
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular


Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes debut, self titled album proved to me that there is always new ways to reinvent rock music – in this case by taking down the tempo, latching onto harmonies, and capturing more than just a little of that old-school rock feel.

This five-piece band from Seattle came from virtually nowhere to become one of the darlings of the 2008 music scene, and I am happy to blindly follow the masses in praising their unique and otherworldly sound.


British India – Thieves

Thieves marks the second album for Melbourne based band British India, and is a fitting follow up to their debut breakthrough album, Guillotine. While this album hasn’t yet had quite the number of hits as the previous album, I think over time it will be remembered as a well rounded piece of work. Particular highlights include ‘God is Dead, Meet the Kids’ and ‘You Will Die and I Will Take Over’.


The Streets – Everything is Borrowed

The penultimate album for Mike Skinner and The Streets is a welcome return to form after a celebrity focused and indulgent previous album. While Skinner hasn’t returned to singing about the day-to-day (and is not likely to ever again), the album certainly shows a man who is much more content about his lot in life, with the over-riding theme being reflection on the bigger things in life such as love and spirituality. My favourite track on the album is ‘The Escapist’, the first single, which best sums up the vibe of the entire album.


Coldplay – Viva la Vida

I have loved Coldplay since ‘Yellow’, and Viva la Vida was an exciting album for Chris Martin and Co., with the world’s biggest band (apart from U2) looking to capture that stadium sound they have been working towards for 4 albums.

The album starts strongly and carries this through for the entire album, with tracks ebbing and flowing over the course of the album. The highlight of the album for me is ‘Strawberry Swing’, a song that harkens back to the bands’ softer, quieter days.

Ultimately, Viva la Vida is a success in as much that it makes me want to see how these guys perform this album live, and how they stand up as crowd favourites against classics from the Coldplay stable.


MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

MGMT are the IT band of 2008, and Oracular Spectacular is an album that has slowly but surely infected the masses with its psychedelic sound scape. For me, ‘Electric Feel’ is one of the best songs of 2008 and sums up the general feel MGMT were going for in their debut outing.

However, while songs such as ‘Electric Feel’, ‘Weekend Wars’, and ‘Kids’ are brilliant examples of the potential of these two Brooklyn based boys, the flow of the album isn’t quite perfect, and the end of the album in particular feels a little slow. Despite this slight drawback, the quality of the good tracks makes this a must-have album for 2008.


Coming soon: my top 5 albums of 2008.


CB